Random Thread #1

[DeAdFX]

The obvious solution is to use coarse material I have a lot of troubles keeping my chems from forming dust clouds. I find that making no suddenly movements will lower dust cloud formation quite a bit. Using really dense chemicals help too. Aluminum powder makes far less of a cloud compared to charcoal which floats all over the place.

[Mumbles]

The obvious solution is to use coarse material I have a lot of troubles keeping my chems from forming dust clouds. I find that making no suddenly movements will lower dust cloud formation quite a bit. Using really dense chemicals help too. Aluminum powder makes far less of a cloud compared to charcoal which floats all over the place.

You may not keep up that tune if you ever use stearin coated -325 mesh bright flake Al. Just opening the twist tie on the bag is enough to create one hell of a cloud, much less screening it.

 

Charcoal I can control pretty well. I find mixing with heavier chemicals, like KNO3 or S, in 2 or 3 parts really cuts down the dust when screening. For ballmilling, I never premix it. Even 80 mesh charcoal I use in my comets and stuff make a decent cloud, probably has some airfloat in it. Most other chemicals don't fly around to much, parlon maybe a little bit. I've heard bad things about german dark, but I never use enough to make a cloud really.

[tentacles]

I've found that going more slowly, and keeping the fall distances as short as possible helps a lot against dust, and when I'm sieving in my charcoal, for instance, between my sieve (disposable ziplock tub) and the container I'm sieving into, I stuff small bits of kleenex into the open spaces, this helps a lot! then you can just toss out/burn the used tissue.

 

Less sensitive comps, I combine in a ziplock tub, and tilt 45 deg, then "roll", or shake if it's charcoal stars or similar. I honestly don't see a difference from diapering in newspaper, if you do this very gently. And with the lid, no dust clouds! Just let it settle for a few minutes with the lid on to let any dust fall before you open it!

[jacob]

ah ha, so thats what coated al is coated in. does the coating make any difference in comps or can you use it the same as the uncoated 325 mesh stuff?

So how do you guys work with your chemicals without getting dust clouds?

Mom said I couldn't buy that 20 kg chemical order unless I found out what the actual law consequence is when making pyro (this was easy). Also she said I need to get a stink cupboard or similar because there may be poisonus dust clouds in the room, but I think that's a bit much to pay/make a stink cupboard.

for the most part i just let the dust go all over the place. i wonder why my workshop is so messy.

[Mumbles]

Well, bright Al is coated with stearin, dark Al is coated with carbon in a way. As long as it's still the same size and particle shape flake/atomised/granular they should be interchangeable. However you can't assume the same preformance.

[optimus]

A few nice pyro torrents in this thread:

 

http://www.pyrosociety.org.uk/forum/index....indpost&p=27095

 

Get em while they're hot!

[Guest Mark_the_pyro]

This is a stupid question, but what does sponge Ti look like? I have granular, and its just little chips. After googling this, does it have the look of steel wool? I am just curious, as I am beginning to wind back into pyro for the 4th, and want to make some stinger's. Thanks guys.

[pudidotdk]

About the stink cupboard. Does anyone know a simple alternative that can be made? I still cannot persuade my stupid mom to quit that part.

[Mumbles]

Sponge Ti looks kind of like corroded Ti, which is essentially what it is. The surface looks pitted, and dark. If you looked closely there would be a bunch of holes in the surface.

[DeAdFX]

About the stink cupboard. Does anyone know a simple alternative that can be made? I still cannot persuade my stupid mom to quit that part.

See if your mum will let you pitch a tent outside so you can do your chemical mixing and shit in their.

[pudidotdk]

The idea was to do it inside. Doing it outside of the house would be a risk since it is often cold and windy. So outside in tent = not good idea.

 

Other ideas?

 

 

 

 

Also the girl from supremepyro tells that she sells "chlorinated rubber" or "chloral rubber." She does not anything about except the name, any idea what it is?

[hst45]

Also the girl from supremepyro tells that she sells "chlorinated rubber" or "chloral rubber." She does not anything about except the name, any idea what it is?

Pudi, sounds Like she means Parlon. It's a chlorine donor, that dissolvable in xylene and doubles as a binder.

 

You gotta love a girl that sells rubbers!! Or, rubber.

[rocket]

Had a 3” fountain explode at a display I was working on which was interesting I now know what to look out for when being close to them, you could hear it was gunna blow as it was getting louder and louder and the sparks where getting a bit high (5m+). The bottom ended up giving way in the end, got a nice big bright fire/smoke ball .

[optimus]

26.6g Copper Oxide thermite:

 

http://www.apcforum.net/files/CuOx_Thermite.wmv

[Pretty green flame]

26.6g Copper Oxide thermite:

 

http://www.apcforum.net/files/CuOx_Thermite.wmv

Awesome, i really need to try this out. Was it contained in anyway or just lying there?

 

Cheers

[pudidotdk]

Just wanna ask if you think it is OK to work in a furnace room with a gas furnace. I've planned this room as my pyro shop, but if it's too unsafe I'm gonna give up pyro since this is the only suitable place. I can't take bad working conditions.

[Umphrey]

if you think it is OK to work in a furnace room with a gas furnace.

I wouldn't. It seems it would be a very likely ignition point. If you're screening compositions and work up a big dust cloud, or are using flammable solvents, a flashback would be too great a risk. I make it a point to never work where there is an open flame anywhere near me, I've heard too many stories of preventable accidents caused that way.

 

If your furnace is electrical start(that is no pilot light), it might be safe if you could ensure it wouldn't come on during mixing, and didn't store any live compositions near it. But if it has a pilot light constantly on, I would say it is ill-advised to make a pyrotechnical lab there.

[pudidotdk]

pics on:

http://www.pyrosociety.org.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=3036

[Umphrey]

When metal box is opened there is a small glass where a little flame can sometimes be seen. I would call it a closed flame

A closed flame would be completely and totally sealed--no outside air could reach it. That setup does not appear to be a closed flame.

Small window where flames can sometimes be seen, not now though

So you have no control over when it goes on? It still seems quite unsafe. You could go many months without a problem, but one day, after you have become convinced it is safe, BAM! Everything goes up in flames.

 

If you're willing to compromise safety now, more compromises are likely in the future, it could take years, but eventually you'll have an accident due to it.

Pyrotechnics is a profession rife with preventable risks, if you play it safe, you'll go on to be an old pyro. If you start disregarding risks for the sake of convenience, it will eventually catch up to you.

[pudidotdk]

Yes, but now I have no places to work, meaning that I'm quitting pyro. I'm incredible sad about it, but what choice do I have? I don't wan't to work outside as suggested to me a million times. I have a garage but I do not like to work there. Also the humidity is to big and would spoil all my stuff. Also it is used for the car sometimes.

Bedroom is also suggested to me, but that is stupid.

 

My mom suggested I searched for proffessional pyros to work with. But there are no pyros in the neighbourhood, and btw a professional pyro will have work to do and I would have to plan it. I guess it would me max 1 time per month or so. I wan't to be able to make pyro when I feel like and such. I really wan't to be at home.

 

Everything just sucks.

[optimus]

Awesome, i really need to try this out. Was it contained in anyway or just lying there?

 

Cheers

It was in a 3/4" x 4"ish open-ended tube, not compacted atall. The Al was 600mesh spherical. I used plastic ignitor cord to light it as I wasn't sure visco would do the job...

 

It's very impressive stuff! Very loud indeed!

[jacob]

pudidotdk, maybe you can do something like some one on the old form did, for his workshop he just bilt a shed out in the woods, i think he said it cost him 300 usd but he was useing new lumber not salvaged wood which would be cheaper, or free if you can find it.

[Umphrey]

Yes, but now I have no places to work, meaning that I'm quitting pyro.

Why not build a place to work? Many hobby pyrotechnicians work out of a shed or garage. I've seen stores even sell prebuilt structures suitable for that, although they are significantly more expensive than building it yourself. I actually built a small storage shed for the purpose of keeping my ballmill in, it was under $150.00. It has held up for almost 5 years now. A larger shed would certainly be adequite to work in.

 

If you have someone to help you build it, a very suitable work area can be built for surprisingly cheap. Even cheaper if you have or can scrounge up scrap materials.

[asilentbob]

Moved and burned a bunch of junk... scrap wood, cloth, paper, etc...

 

Then set off a hodgepodge 1-3/4" glitter shell and 2 3" starmines, one with win20, one with gold tremelon. Was too bright for vids... now i know that the amount of stars and lift is sufficient for the starsize... though a little bit more lift would be slightly better...

[DeAdFX]

I was wondering if this might be a viable way to maintain anhydrous Sr(ClO4)2 and Ba(ClO4)2. These two salts are hydroscopic and form hydrates with water. The corresponding carbonates/sulfates are not nearly as hydroscopic. Would it be possible to dump a solution of potassium carbonate on anhydrous Ba(ClO4)2 and have a thin insoluble layer of carbonate on the perchlorate?